Advice on dead note on guitar?

[witeter]

Hey guys been recently getting a bit if a dead note on my schecter guitar, it seems to occur on the g string 12th fret. The interesting thing is that, say if i tighten the string more, the dead note actually moves down to the 11th fret-so it follows the tuning if that makes sense. The note plays but there is a lack of sustain when compared to the other notes on the guitar. Any advice would be great-thanks!

[Deafcat64]

I feel your pain my friend. I've had the same experience with most guitars I've owned in one way or another. It seems that nearly all guitars have resonant frequencies that affect the sustain of the instrument. Some notes are just lifeless and there isn't much you can do to cure it. I would love to know if there is a remedy, but it seems to be the properties of the instrument, that's why the dead note follows the tuning. When you raise the pitch, the note moves down the fretboard. When you lower the pitch, it moves up.

[Twinfan]

As said above, it's to do with the frequencies of the strings being cancelled out by the sympathetic frequencies of the body.  You can move them about using weights on the headstock/in the body cavities but you can never completely remove them.  Most guitars suffer from it to a greater or lesser extent.

I've found that playing a guitar more, so it really opens up, can reduce the effect somewhat.  Basically, play the snot out of it if it's a great guitar and it'll get better.  If it's really bad to begin with though, you'd be better off selling it and buying something else.

[witeter]

Cheers guys-at least its saved me a trip down the luthier; i do like it, its not a high end guitar by any means but it does what it does well; will see if it gets a tad better and whatever happens happens-thanks again!

[Philly Q]

I've seen claims that carbon-fibre necks or graphite-reinforced wooden necks are free from (or less prone to) dead spots. 

And I would guess that anything which makes the neck stiffer would help -  laminated necks, or three-piece necks as used by Feline and Hamer.  One-piece necks are probably worst (I don't know if that's true, but intuitively it seems to make sense).

None of which help solve your problem!  I think you just have to live with it.  I had a Music Man with a terrible dead spot around the 9th fret, and one of my SGs has another bad one.  They always seem to be around the middde part of the neck.

[FELINEGUITARS]

First and foremost - put a fresh string (or set) on the guitar.
It may be that you have a tiny kink in the string that is causing a problem.
If the guitar didn't always do this then there is a problem like a duff string

[witeter]

Chhers for that Feline-will try a new string!

[Deafcat64]

If it makes you feel any better, both my SGs have a slight problem with this. Not bad when I'm actually playing, but when you're just fretting the notes, you can tell. Both are at different frets because of different resonant frequencies.

[witeter]

Well i tried a new string but the problem is still there, i dont think i remember the issue ALWAYS being there-though it may have started around the same time i got a new nut installed-could this be the culprit? thanks

[Deafcat64]

Absolutely. If the slot in the nut isn't cleanly filed, it can definitely dampen the string vibration.